NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Snacks, Arrests Fashion Designer and Others in Nationwide Crackdown
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine and high-grade cannabis concealed in food flasks and snack packs bound for the United Kingdom and Ghana, while arresting multiple suspects, including a fashion designer, in coordinated nationwide operations across Lagos, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, and Cross River States.
Operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on April 9, 2026, intercepted 12 parcels of cocaine weighing 2.80kg hidden in false compartments of food flasks on a Virgin Atlantic flight heading to the United Kingdom.
Two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39), were arrested at the export shed, while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged sender, Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola (52), a freight and forwarding agent.
In a separate operation on April 8, NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport import shed intercepted 2.90kg of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in snack packages arriving from the United States on a Delta Airlines flight.
Two clearing agents, Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were initially arrested, while the consignee, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke (29), a fashion designer, was later apprehended in Ogba, Lagos.
In Kaduna State, operatives intercepted a cement-laden trailer along the Kaduna–Zaria highway on April 13, discovering 847kg of skunk concealed in 760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna (33), was arrested.
In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers raided a forest in Uwet community, Akamkpa LGA, on April 16, where they destroyed 15,000kg of skunk cultivated on six hectares of farmland and recovered an additional 119kg. A suspect, Alice Sunday Udoh (53), was arrested.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives stormed a cannabis plantation at Saboro camp, Ovia North East LGA, on April 14, destroying 2,281.43kg of skunk. Three suspects were arrested during the operation, while additional arrests were made in Delta State on April 17, where 87.838kg of cannabis and seeds were recovered from two suspects.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers also intercepted 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital hidden in a truck heading to Ghana, while 95.8kg of skunk was recovered from a raided building on Lagos Island.
The agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns across schools and communities nationwide, including engagements in Niger, Cross River, Kogi, Katsina, Kano, and Lagos States.
Commending the operatives involved, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their commitment to both drug supply reduction and public enlightenment efforts, urging sustained momentum in the ongoing anti-narcotics campaign.
Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
Sunday, April 19, 2026
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